2015 Media Citations

Scams, ignorance burn foreign buyers of Detroit properties
Reuters, December 9, 2015
Property tax revenues fell to $100 million in 2014 compared with $183 million in 2006 as a result of population loss and the aftermath of the 2008 credit crisis, according to data from the Citizens Research Council of Michigan.

The Always Tricky Reverse-Commuter Tax
Governing Magazine, November 2015
In Michigan, Detroit levies a tax on outward-bound commuters, but only 15 percent of them actually pay the self-reported tax. The loss adds up, because 62 percent of Detroit residents commute out to the suburbs, according to the nonprofit Citizens Research Council of Michigan.

This summer, state lawmakers looked at options that would help the Motor City collect the tax. One idea was to require suburban employers to withhold city income taxes and then turn them over to Detroit. That would take the burden off Detroit residents to figure out how to report and pay their taxes, and it would boost revenue for the city. But a reverse-commuter tax itself, which is also levied in 21 other cities in Michigan, may discourage residents from living in urban centers, say critics like Eric Lupher, president of the Citizens Research Council of Michigan. Most of Michigan municipalities are “trying to revitalize themselves and be attractive in getting people to move there,” he told Crain’s Detroit Business. This kind of tax might be a disincentive.

Crazy idea may be sane solution to DPS debt
Detroit News, November 30, 2015
That was just seven months ago, when the district’s debt service costs were around $53 million per year. The Citizens Research Council of Michigan (CRC) has updated its numbers and says the district now owes $140 million in debt costs this school year – nearly triple that of last year. This also means outstanding debt will rob each Detroit school child of three times the per-pupil – nearly $3,000 per student. In other words, 41 cents of every state education dollar is being taken from the future citizens to pay for past sins. Worse, the state aided and abetted these sins by continually extending time for DPS to repay the loans.

Detroit school overhaul unlikely by end of year
Detroit News, November 13, 2015
Craig Thiel, senior research associate at the Citizens Research Council of Michigan, told The Detroit News that Snyder’s argument is “semantics. Clearly you’re taking money that would be available to other school districts to help a single school district.”

DPS Emergency Manager Could Make Big Changes
Mackinac Center, November 12, 2015
The harsh reality is that DPS has taken on more than $1.6 billion in general obligation debt, and has run a deficit for the past seven years. In fiscal year 2014, according to the Citizens Research Council, DPS overspent by $172 million. In light of past overspending, any proposal that entails giving an outsize award to DPS should also take care to protect state taxpayers. Converting DPS schools to independent charter schools provides the best safeguard for several reasons.

Is Michigan on the road to ruin?
Detroit Free Press, November 8, 2015
And while some growth is likelier than not, so is some increase in costs, notes Bob Schneider of the nonpartisan Citizens Research Council, which has analyzed the impact of a roads deal that includes a substantial general fund cut. So even if Michigan’s economy grows, “there’s going to be stuff that grabs that growth … there wasn’t enough revenue growth to make it clean.”

“The bottom line here is that DPS is showing to the state that it will begin paying its retirement bill,” Thiel said. “I think this was prompted by the capital markets when DPS had to issue cash flow notes. Bondholders were nervous that they might not get paid if ORS intercepts state aid.”

Snyder: Unpaid bills could tip DPS into financial chaos
Detroit News, October 19, 2015
“It seems like that’s semantics,” said Craig Thiel, senior research associate at the Citizens Research Council of Michigan. “Clearly you’re taking money that would be available to other school districts to help a single school district.”

The right recipe for transforming Michigan public education
MLive.com, October 15, 2015
In Michigan, this marketplace and the blind expansion of choice has hurt almost all schools and students. Over the past decade Michigan’s school-age population has declined by 200,000 students, while hundreds more schools have opened. According to the respected nonpartisan Citizens Research Council, 70 percent of all school districts, including 389 traditional districts and 73 charter schools, have seen enrollment declines in recent years. Losing students, they lose dollars, they cut staff and programs, and learning is diminished.

Giving Michigan nurses more authority to prescribe drugs and treat patients
Bridge Magazine, October 15, 2015
Sibilsky said that rural areas – where it is often hard to attract and retain physicians – would most benefit from giving more autonomy to nurse practitioners. Recent studies, including a June report from the Lansing-based Citizens Research Council, point to an ongoing shortage of physicians in rural Michigan, particularly northern Michigan, that is projected to worsen in coming years.

Finding funds for road repair not an easy fix
MLive.com, October 11, 2015
Nearly two-thirds of state taxes are earmarked for specific spending purposes, according to the CRC. And earmarks likely will grow in future budgets. For example, a phase-out of the personal property tax requires the state to reimburse local units for their loss of revenue with about $600 million a year from the state use tax.

That, plus looming budget pressures, will leave the Legislature with a smaller pool of discretionary money to divert toward maintenance of roads and bridges, according to the Citizens Research Council of Michigan, a nonpartisan public affairs research firm based in Livonia.

CRC Report: State Tax Earmarking Grows, Making Road Deal More Difficult
White Lake Beacon, September 21, 2015
Michigan lawmakers continue to work towards a permanent road funding solution amounting to at least an additional $1.2 billion annually. In legislative deliberations targeting this amount, discussions seem to be coalescing around a potential solution that combines raising new transportation tax revenue and redirecting existing state funds toward roads. A new Citizens Research Council report highlights that redirecting existing state dollars for roads is made more difficult by the growing amount of earmarked tax revenues and the shrinking share of discretionary resources available to policymakers.

Cit back on earmarks
Detroit News, September 18, 2015
Earmarking is a practice that ensures a certain amount of funding for specific services, and it can tie the hands of legislators, whose duties include making monetary decisions.

That’s the conclusion of a report by the Citizens Research Council of Michigan, a nonprofit research group.

Report Cautions Against “Tying Lawmakers’ Hands”
West South West on WMUK Public Radio, September 17, 2015Citizens Research Council Senior Research Associate Craig Thiel says “earmarking” tax revenue is not necessarily a bad idea. He says for instance it can ensure that people using a government service are the ones to pay for it. Examples include gas taxes and vehicle registration fees being used to pay for road improvements. Thiel says earmarking can also guarantee a minimum level of funding for a major priority in the budget. He says dedicating tax revenue for a certain purpose can also have political purposes.

Michigan’s chief justice: More specialty courts, more cash
Detroit Free Press, September 11, 2015
Young says the courts save money, strengthen families and improve communities. He talked about the courts Friday at the annual meeting of the Citizens Research Council of Michigan, a group that studies policies in state and local government.

Michigan’s chief justice: More specialty courts, more cash
WWTV/WWUP-TV 9&10 News (Cadillac,MI), September 11, 2015
Young says the courts save money, strengthen families and improve communities. He talked about the courts Friday at the annual meeting of the Citizens Research Council of Michigan, a group that studies policies in state and local government.

Specialized court programs to share $14 million
Detroit News, September 11, 2015
Court programs, supervised through the State Court Administrative Office, focusing on drug, drunken driving, mental health and veterans treatment are underway in 122 courts statewide to help impact serious problems of the state’s citizens, Young told a group of more than 200 people gathered for the nonprofit Citizens Research Council luncheon at the Troy Marriott hotel.

Michigan’s shortage in primary care doctors
Detroit News, September 10, 2015
Those statistics come from a report published this summer by the Citizens Research Council of Michigan, which has been doing important, non-partisan research and policy analysis for nearly a century.

43 Michigan school districts’ credit ratings cut
Detroit News, August 31, 2015
Craig Thiel, senior associate with the Citizens Research Council, said the state’s method of funding schools puts districts under additional financial pressure as they struggle with lower birthrates and increased competition from charter schools, cyber schools and even other public districts under Schools of Choice.

Road funding could stretch budget
Detroit Free Press, August 28, 2015
The state budget will have to be cut elsewhere if lawmakers and Gov. Rick Snyder dedicate $600 million in annual general fund revenues to pay for fixing roads and bridges, a nonpartisan research group said in a report released Friday.

The Citizens Research Council said such a move would create a budget hole of $187 million for the current fiscal year, $483 million for 2016-17, and $344 million for 2017-18.

Analysis: No roads deal due to clash over shifting funds
Monroe News, August 23, 2015
The nonpartisan Citizens Research Council will soon issue a report on the long-term budgetary impact of diverting more general funds to roads. The Medicaid expansion, a hospital tax issue and pending state employee contract renewals will put extra pressure on the budget to the tune of $171 million in the 2017 fiscal year, $300 million in 2018 and $450 million in 2019, said CRC senior research associate Craig Thiel.

Biz community fine with Detroit tax withholding proposal
Crain’s Detroit Business, August 20, 2015
Such a move could have a big impact. In 2011, 38 percent of Detroit residents worked in the city, while 62 percent of city residents were employed in the suburbs, said Eric Lupher, president of the Citizens Research Council of Michigan in Livonia, citing a report by an economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago’s Detroit office.

Michigan schools make tough cuts amid student decline
Detroit News, August 17, 2015
“If unaddressed, these problems can develop into significant sources of fiscal stress, making it difficult to deliver quality educational programs and services,” states the report from the Citizens Research Council, written by senior associate Craig Thiel.

That’s the main conclusion of an 18-page report issued last month by Citizens Research Council of Michigan, a Lansing-based policy research group that studies ways in which government can operate more efficiently.

Clean up state Constitution
Detroit News, August 15, 2015
The Citizens Research Council of Michigan, a non-profit research group, says it’s time to ask voters to erase defunct parts of the state constitution. These include regulations requiring voters to be at least 21-years-old and stating that only heterosexual couples can marry.

Financial Notes in the Legislature
Detroit Today on WDET, August 13, 2015
Stephen Henderson and Eric Lupher, a member of the Citizen’s Research Council of Michigan, talk about the influence of financial notes and fiscal agencies on legislation. Financial notes are non-partisan estimates of the financial impact of proposed and enacted legislation on state and local governments, public school districts, businesses, and taxpayers.

Want to change Michigan politics? Here’s how
Detroit Free Press, August 9, 2015
But policy wonks such as Benson and Eric Lupher, president of the nonpartisan Citizens Research Council, say it’s not the best way. The Supreme Court’s ruling means that a commission created via an amendment to the state constitution will withstand even the highest legal scrutiny.

There’s also this — Lupher notes that any measure adopted by the Legislature can be altered by the Legislature, and that means a commission created to be nonpartisan and independent could become partisan and beholden.

Cleaning Up Michigan’s Constitution
West South West on WMUK Public Radio, July 31, 2015
“If we’re going to have a written Constitution it should be up to date,” says Craig Thiel, Senior Research Associate for the Citizens Research Council of Michigan.

How do Term Limits Affect Michigan Voters?
WDET Public Radio, July 28, 2015
Stephen Henderson talks with Craig Thiel, Senior Research Associate for the Citizens Research Council of Michigan, and Roger Martin, Partner at Martin Waymire, about how term limits affect Michigan’s political process, and what can be done about it.

Report recommends an eraser for parts of state Constitution
Livingston Daily, July 26, 2015
The Citizens Research Council of Michigan, a respected group that publishes reports on public policy, believes it’s time to ask voters to erase parts of the constitution that are dead. The call comes just weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage throughout the country, specifically overturning Michigan’s 2004 ban, among others.

A different kind of house call: The doctor will see you now – remotely
Bridge Magazine, July 23, 2015
Technology offers powerful tools in a state with shortages of at least one primary care speciality doctor in three out of four Michigan counties, according to the Citizens Research Council of Michigan. But one health expert said he believes the state could do much more to encourage telemedicine’s growth in hard-to-reach regions of Michigan.

In rural Michigan, a doctor shortage promises to get worse
Bridge Magazine, July 21, 2015
But Michigan needs many more physicians like Kalcich, according to a recent study by the nonprofit Lansing-based Citizens Research Council. It found that four rural counties in Michigan – Cass, Keweenaw, Lake and Oscoda – consistently fall below recommended ratios of primary care physicians to population. Seven other rural counties – most in the northern half of the Lower Peninsula – fall below suggested ratios in every primary care field it examined except family practice.

Cost of insurance forcing many in Detroit to ‘drive dirty’
AP, July 21, 2015
Medical expenses now make up about 30 percent of total insurance premiums, said Nicole Bradshaw, a research associate at the Citizens Research Council of Michigan and author of a 2013 report on medical costs associated with so-called no-fault auto insurance.

Group: Tell us how bills affect local governments
Lansing State Journal, July 9, 2015
Michigan lawmakers should reform the legislative process to allow more study on how bills would affect local communities, businesses and individuals, the nonpartisan Citizens Research Council of Michigan said in a report this week….

Report Suggests Expanding Fiscal Note On Bills
Gongwer News Service, July 8, 2015
The Legislature should task the House and Senate Fiscal Agencies with providing cost analyses beyond state government to include the fiscal impact of legislation on local government, individuals and businesses, according to a report released Wednesday by the Citizens Research Council of Michigan.

Change law that allows court levies
Detroit News, July 7, 2015
The nonprofit, non-partisan Citizens Research Council of Michigan argues for changing a 1961 Michigan law that allows judges to force communities to pay court judgments through special tax assessments.

New report outlines remedies to MI primary care doctor shortage
WKAR Current State, June 25, 2015
A recent report from the Citizens Research Council of Michigan indicates that while the state has seen an increase in family physicians in the last decade, Michigan may need as much as 12-percent more to meet demand by 2030. Other data suggests there are enough doctors, but they’re spread too thinly over the rural populations that need them most.

Pensions, debt obstruct Snyder’s Detroit schools plan
Detroit Free Press, June 22, 2015
“So much of the operational funding that schools receive is based on the numbers of students that show up,” said Craig Thiel, senior research associate for the Citizens Research Council of Michigan. “Until they can solve that problem, it’s going to be hard for them to get rid of this vicious cycle where more students leave, they lose revenue and there’s financial problems.”

Michigan is missing out on true school choice
Detroit News, June 19, 2015
The state already allows shared-time instruction, which as the Citizens Research Council of Michigan has pointed out provides public funding for nonpublic school students to take elective courses at public schools. So some crossover exists now.

Focus needs to shift to children shortly after birth
Livingston Daily, June 10, 2015
Speakers at last week’s conference emphasized that now the focus is shifting a bit to concentrate on mothers and children during and shortly after pregnancy. National research by Lansing-based Public Sector Consultants and the Citizens Research Council showed that certain kinds of programs show strong returns on investment.

West Bloomfield recall petitions rejected for 4th time
Detroit Free Press, June 3, 2015
Michigan has long been a state at or near the top in holding recall elections of elected officials, in part because the state has so many units of government, according to the Citizens Research Council, a nonprofit think tank based in Livonia.

Rep. Dingell to lawmakers: Get courage to fix roads
Detroit News, May 30, 2015
Eric Lupher, president of the Citizens Research Council of Michigan, said there’s “a lot of strain” on the state budget through rising Medicaid costs and implementation of a voter-approved personal property tax cut for businesses.

“There’s not $1.5 billion lying around that we can grab onto,” Lupher said.

At business conference, Lawmakers pressured to fix roads now
WOOD-TV, May 29, 2015
Eric Lupher, president of the nonpartisan Citizens Research Council of Michigan, said state funding of local governments and universities remains below past levels and additional spending on K-12 schools is going toward pension and retiree costs instead of classroom instruction. The budget will be strained further as a tax cut on business equipment is phased in and the state begins covering a portion of Medicaid expansion costs, he said.

Duggan pitches compromise for Detroit schools
Detroit News, May 27, 2015
Snyder largely endorsed the coalition’s call for state assumption of the debt, asking lawmakers to dedicate $53 million to $72 million annually for several years to pay off a $483 million operating debt. A $72 million state contribution to DPS debt would cost about $50 for every other student and school district in the state, according to the Citizens Research Council of Michigan.

CMU summit focuses on early childhood development
MLive.com, May 21, 2015
A study by the Citizens Research Council of Michigan and Public Sector Consultants reports 56 percent of the birth to age 3 population in our state were identified as “at risk” of falling behind their peers before they reach kindergarten.

Recall petitions abound in West Bloomfield
Detroit Free Press, May 17, 2015
Half-baked recalls are a hassle shared by countless other elected officials in Michigan — a state known for its high frequency of recall campaigns, according to Eric Lupher, president of the nonprofit Citizens Research Council, a nonpartisan think tank in Livonia.

Plan B: Raise the gas tax, but make sure taxpayers get money’s worth
Detroit News, May 13, 2015
Now we come to the road revenue distribution formula. The 65-year-old road-funding formula is skewed, sending far more funding per capita to remote, rural jurisdictions than to heavily-used Metro Detroit roads. An analysis by the invaluable Michigan Citizens Research Council noted than in fiscal 2006, Keweenaw County got nearly $579 per capita in state road funds, but Oakland and Wayne County only got about $90 and $89 per capita respectively. Macomb only got about $79 per capita, while Ontonagen County got about $348 per capita.

Only about eight percent of Michigan’s $52 billion budget is “truly discretionary,” Thiel said, noting that the state can’t reallocate federal funding. Lawmakers have closer to $4 billion in general fund money they could actually move around.

“The components of a solution are out there,” Thiel said. “Unfortunately, it’s going to take compromises — give and take.”

Stakes are high in today’s election
Battle Creek Enquirer, May 5, 2015
“There’s a consensus among the public that we do need some new spending on roads — the discussion is about how to do that,” said Bob Schneider, director of state affairs for the nonpartisan Citizens Research Council, which has taken no position on Proposal 1 but published reports and made presentations to community groups in an effort to educate voters.

Remember to VOTE TUESDAY, MAY 5
Paw Paw Courier-Leader, May 4, 2015
Details of the proposal are numerous. Michigan State University Extension (www.msue.anr.msu.edu), the Mackinac Center for Public Policy (www.mackinac.org), and the Citizens Research Council of Michigan (www.crcmich.org) each present an unbiased, independent analysis of the proposal on their website for voters’ review.

Q&A on Michigan ballot measure to hike taxes for road work
Associated Press, May 3, 2015
The $1.8 billion collected annually would be split as follows according to the Citizens Research Council of Michigan:
— $1.25 billion for roads (fuel/car registration taxes);
— $127 million for public transit (fuel/registration taxes);
— $320 million for education (sales tax);
— $109 million in state revenue-sharing to local governments (sales tax).

Protestors rally against Proposal 1 in Sterling Heights
Macomb Daily, May 2, 2015
According to the Citizens Research Council of Michigan, Proposal 15-1 modifies the taxation of gasoline and diesel fuel by exempting these fuels from the sales tax base and changing how the state per-gallon motor fuel tax is calculated.

ABC12 breaks down Proposal 1
WJRT-TV Channel 12 (Flint,MI), May 4, 2015
Critics say, “Has an extra 700 million dollars tacked on to it. Over and beyond the money they say they want to fix the roads,” said Bob Schneider, with the Citizens Research Council of Michigan.

The Citizens Research Council of Michigan says it provides unbiased information regarding issues facing Michigan. We asked him what the guarantees are in Proposal 1 – if passed.

Proposal 1’s passage would trigger these 10 laws
Detroit Free Press, May 4, 2015
If passed, eligible Michigan residents could claim a tax credit equal to 20% of their federal EITC, up from 6%. The change would restore the credit to the level it was at before Snyder and the Republican-controlled Legislature reduced it in 2011. According to the Citizen’s Research Council, a couple with three children and an income of $45,000 would see their state EITC increase from $94 to $312.

What’s the real story with Proposal 1?
Detroit Free Press, April 30, 2015
With the election set for Tuesday, Eric Lupher, president of the Citizens Research Council of Michigan, joined the Free Press to try to answer those questions in a web chat with Freep.com readers Wednesday.

Vote ‘yes’ on May 5 despite the measure’s flaws
St. Joseph Herald Paladium, April 30, 2015
Our preference would have been a straight-forward measure focusing almost exclusively on raising fuel taxes. After all, it has been 18 years since state fuel taxes increased, to 19 cents per gallon for gasoline and 15 cents per gallon for diesel. Since then, fuel efficiency for vehicles has increased dramatically, while the number of miles people drive has decreased, according to the Citizens Research Council of Michigan. So with fuel tax revenues stagnant and failing to keep up with inflation, money spent on road and bridge maintenance now falls far short of what is needed.

Michigan governor wants overhaul of troubled Detroit schools
Traverse City Record Eagle, April 30, 2015
Allocating an additional $72 million a year to the district could cost other Michigan districts about $50 per student in annual funding, according to the nonpartisan Citizens Research Council of Michigan.

Snyder to release sweeping plan for Detroit schools
Detroit Free Press, April 30, 2015
Last week, the Citizens Research Council of Michigan released a report saying splitting DPS would cost the state School Aid Fund $72 million to fund the new district. Students across Michigan would lose about $50 each in state dollars to fund the new entity, the report said.

Proposal 1’s complexity generates controversy
Detroit News, April 29, 2015
The Citizens Research Council says at a wholesale fuel price of $1.90 a gallon — about the current price — the new fuel tax rates would add 10.2 cents a gallon to what motorists pay at the pump.

Proposal 1 views offered by readers: Support Proposal 1
Midland Daily News, April 28, 2015
The Citizens Research Council of Michigan is the most respected public policy group in Michigan and they have done an analysis of the state House December plan. The Citizens Research Council has said the House plan “will pinch revenues currently earmarked elsewhere. About 73 percent of sales tax revenue currently goes to public education. About 10 percent goes to local governments, about 5 percent goes to public transportation and about 12 percent goes to the general fund.”

Michigan households would pay hundreds more in taxes under roads Proposal 1
MLive.com, April 27, 2015
Another “unadvertised feature” of the plan is that taxes on fuel sold for boats, off-road vehicles and lawnmowers would rise significantly because the fuel would not be exempt from the sales tax, Anderson said. The new 7 percent sales tax would only be removed from fuel used to operate motor vehicles on public roads, raising compliance issues since the vast majority of fuel is sold by gas stations without regard to whether someone is filling up a car, boat or gas can, according to the nonpartisan Citizens Research Council of Michigan.

Proposal 1’s strange bedfellows
Lansing State Journal, April 26, 2015
One of the problems that Proposal 1 addresses is that we pay a lot for gasoline but spend far too little on roads because we put sales tax on gas that’s used on other priorities. Most of that sales tax, some $500 million, goes to schools and $170 million goes to Lansing and other communities to pay for services, according to the Citizens Research Council of Michigan.

Declining enrollment a statewide hurdle
The [Port Huron] Times Herald, April 26, 2015
CPS and districts throughout the Blue Water Area are part of what is being called “an era of declining enrollment.” Reasons include lower birth rates and the loss or absence of a major employer, factors over which school districts have no control, according to a January 2015 report from the Citizen Research Council of Michigan.

How would new DPS plan work?
Detroit News, April 26, 2015
The Citizens Research Council estimates it will result in a statewide reduction in the foundation grant of $50 per-pupil.

What Does the No-Fault Auto Bill Mean for You?
WILX-TV Lansing, April 24, 2015
“Certainly, no-fault insurance is a contributor, right? I mean there’s no question that because of our no-fault system that our medical costs are higher and that contributes to it,” said Jeff Guilfoyle who helped with the Citizens Research Council Report on no-fault insurance costs.

Meeting held to discuss Proposal 1
Traverse City WPBN-TV Channels 7&4, April 22, 2015
Bob Schneider with Citizens Research Council of Michigan broke down the details of Prop 1. At the end of the presentation, people had the chance to ask questions.

Traverse City Voters Participate in Proposal 1 Forum
Traverse City Channel 9&10 News, April 22, 2015
Networks Northwest Regional Planner shared information on the condition of the roads in the region and Citizens Research Council provided a neutral overview of proposal one. “We’re trying to help folks understand what it means to them, we think with the proposal does two things with motor fuel taxes, it raises our gasoline tax but it also takes the sales tax that we currently pay on gasoline out of the pump price. We think it’ll be a 10 cent per gallon increase in pump prices as the result of Prop 1 if it is approved,” says Bob Schneider, director of state affairs at Citizens Research Council.

Meeting held to discuss Proposal 1
UpNorthLive.com, April 22, 2015
Bob Schneider with Citizens Research Council of Michigan broke down the details of Prop 1. At the end of the presentation, people had the chance to ask questions.

DPS debt relief plan would cost other schools
Detroit Free Press, April 22, 2015
The Citizens Research Council of Michigan said in a new report Wednesday that it would cost the state School Aid Fund $72 million to fully replace the annual revenue from the district’s 18-mill non-homestead school property tax, if that tax money is diverted to pay off DPS’s debt.

Forgiving Detroit school debt hits all schools
Detroit News, April 21, 2015
The Citizens Research Council of Michigan said it would cost the School Aid Fund $72 million if Detroit’s 18-mill non-homestead property taxes are dedicated to paying off past operating debts and long-term liabilities such as pensions instead of going toward the school district’s base operations.

Pondering the worst case
The [St. Joseph, Benton Harbor] Herald Palladium, April 19, 2015
Craig Thiel, senior research associate with the Citizens Research Council, said the state needs to look at how schools are funded. When voters approved Proposal A in 1994, they changed how schools are funded from a locally driven system to a state-driven one, he said. Before Proposal A, he said school districts were funded mostly through local property taxes. If districts needed more money, they asked the voters for it.

Michigan voters weigh proposal to raise taxes for roadway fixes
Toledo Blade, April 19, 2015
Citing state statistics, the nonpartisan Citizens’ Research Council of Michigan noted that since the last Michigan gasoline-tax increase in 1997, revenue from major transportation taxes in the state has been essentially flat, with a slight decline over the past 10 years following a peak in fiscal 2004.

Prop. 1 discussed in Wyoming Friday
WZZM-13 in Grand Rapids, April 17, 2015
The nonpartisan Citizens Research Council made the presentation, along with state Senator Peter MacGregor, who supports Prop. 1.

Just the facts on Proposal 1
Battle Creek Enquirer, April 12, 2015
The Citizens Research Council of Michigan (www.crcmich.org) has published a 23-page analysis of the proposal that we think does a good job of laying out the details and implications the proposal without advocating an outcome.

Households would pay $545 more in taxes under Proposal 1 in 2016
WXYZ-TV Detroit, April 11, 2015
Another “unadvertised feature” of the plan is that taxes on fuel sold for boats, off-road vehicles and lawnmowers would rise significantly because the fuel would not be exempt from the sales tax, Anderson said. The new 7 percent sales tax would only be removed from fuel used to operate motor vehicles on public roads, raising compliance issues since the vast majority of fuel is sold by gas stations without regard to whether someone is filling up a car, boat or gas can, according to the nonpartisan Citizens Research Council of Michigan.

Vehicle fee hike could raise $175M per year
Detroit News, April 9, 2015
An analysis by the nonpartisan Citizens Research Council of Michigan provides this example of a car costing $30,500 — an average price in today’s world: Under current law, registration would cost $153 in 2016, $138 in 2017, $124 in 2018 and $112 in 2019 and beyond; under the proposed change, it would remain at $153 forever.

Proposal 1—What does it mean?
NBC-25 Flint, April 3, 2015
“We’re already middle of the pack with taxes on gas,” says Eric Lupher of The Citizens Research Council. “If we escalate it higher, we’ll be among the highest and there being some conservative interest in the state, they didn’t want that.” [with video]

Prop 1: more than just roads
WKAR Current State, April 2, 2015
In just over a month, Michigan voters will decide the fate of Proposal 1. That’s the statewide ballot initiative that would generate more than $1-billion to repair and maintain Michigan roads. It’s a complex plan with many parts, the implications of which reach beyond highways and bridges. If approved, the measure would enact a constitutional change to the state sales tax, and also trigger a number of statutory changes. The Citizens Research Council of Michigan has been following the developments of Proposal 1.

As for the effect on actual road improvements, according to the same Fiscal Agency paper, Proposal 15-1 would have an uncertain effect. First, a significant amount of revenue raised under the reform package in the first two years would be used to pay off debt owed for past road projects. But in fiscal year 2017-18, once the debt was paid off, the amount of new revenue going to state roads is projected to be between $1.25 (analysis from the Citizens Research Council) and $1.35 billion (SFA) or a little higher than the 1.1 billion MDOT has indicated it needs annually to improve state highways to an acceptable level by 2025. Local road agencies would see an increase under Proposal 15-1, but their funding needs are less clear, making it difficult to predict whether Proposal 15-1 would generate enough funds to meet local road needs.

SEMCOG: 15-1 is ‘simple’ proposal with ‘complex’ issues
Utica Source, April 9, 2015
According to the Citizens Research Council of Michigan, approval of the May 5 ballot proposal would:
* Exempt gasoline and diesel fuel used to power vehicles on public roads from the sales and use tax;
* Increase the state’s motor fuel tax rates (currently 19 cents per gallon for gasoline and 15 cents per gallon for diesel fuel) to equal 14 percent of the recent wholesale price of each fuel. Initial per-gallon rates would be 41.7 cents for gasoline and 46.4 cents for diesel motor fuel;
* Establish a floor and ceiling for motor fuel tax rates that allow for annual inflationary increases to the rates and limit the volatility of future rate changes in response to future swings in wholesale fuel prices; and
* Increase vehicle registration revenues by eliminating the depreciation discount currently given to passenger vehicles in the first few years; increase registration taxes on large trucks; and establish a new registration surcharge for electric vehicles.

What would Proposal 1 mean for you? 11 ways Michigan ballot measure may affect your life
MLive.com, March 31, 20153: You’d pay more at the pump: Proposal 1 would exempt fuel from the state sales tax but trigger a new wholesale fuel tax that could rise each year with inflation. The initial per-gallon rate, which would take effect in October, has already been set at 41.7 cents for gasoline. Because of the sales tax component, the size of the effective tax increase will depend on the price of gas. At current prices of around $2.40 per gallon, Michigan motorists are paying 31.5 cents in state gas and sales taxes, according to an analysis by the Citizens Research Council. If prices jumped to $3.83 per gallon, motorists would pay a combined state tax of 39.6 cents under current law.

Proposal 1: The right kind of fix for Michigan roads?
MLive.com, March 30, 2015
With gas prices at about $2.40 per gallon, Michigan motorists currently pay 31.5 cents in state gas and sales taxes, according to an analysis by the Citizens Research Council. If prices jumped to $3.83 per gallon, motorists would pay a combined state tax of 39.6 cents under current law.

You ask, we answer: Why is Proposal 1 even on the ballot? Why boost the sales tax and fuel taxes?
MLive.com, March 30, 2015
As for fuel, Proposal 1 would create a new and higher wholesale tax on gasoline and diesel. In year one, gas would be taxed at a rate of 41.7-cents-per gallon, up from the current excise tax of 19 cents. However, because gas would no longer be subject to the sales tax, the size of the tax increase on Michigan motorists really depends on gas prices, as the Citizens Research Council of Michigan illustrated with the following examples.

Analyzing the Proposed Road Funding Package
WMUK WestSouthWest, March 27, 2015
The Citizens Research Council of Michigan has prepared an analysis of Proposal One. They also presented a webinar on March 25th. State lawmakers have been criticized for turning to voters to solve the road funding problem after years of debate. Citizens Research Council State Affairs Director Bob Schneider says the Legislature would not have needed voter approval to increase only gas taxes. He says the Michigan Constitution requires any increase in the sales tax to be approved by voters. Schneider says the dual goals of eliminating the sales tax on gas and protecting funding for schools and local governments required a sales tax increase, and therefore putting Proposal One on the ballot.

Bob Schneider, a director with, Citizens Research Council of Michigan, said he’s hoping the data they’ve collected regarding Proposal 1 will give voters the ability to make informative decisions before they cast their votes.

“I think there’s a consensus now that we need more money for roads, and the question is, should we raise taxes and raise revenue to generate that money? Should it come from existing revenue, and something else has to take the hit, you know, in the state budget to make the money available?” Schneider said. “Voters will have to decide whether they like this approach.”

City officials could take a cue from the 2002 improvements made in the way Michigan sets its salaries for elected officials, said Craig Thiel, a senior research associate at the Citizens Research Council, a nonprofit public affairs research group. State lawmakers now must vote on salary increases and they have the ability to reduce the recommended increases.

Craig Thiel, senior research associate at the Citizens Research Council of Michigan and author of “Financing Special Education: Analyses and Challenges,” said districts like DPS have little flexibility in managing program costs.

Special education “has these mandated services from the state and federal government, and local districts have little latitude in meeting the requirements to provide services,” Thiel said.

Voters learn more about ‘roads’ proposal at Shelby Township meeting
Utica Source, March 25, 2015
At the meeting, Bode served on a panel with Bill Anderson, tax and local operations specialist for the Southeastern Michigan Council of Governments; Nicole Bradshaw, research associate with the Citizens Research Council of Michigan; and Robert Hoepfner, director of the Macomb County Department of Roads.

Fair repayment or illegal handout? $5 million for private schools in Michigan House budget
MLive.com, March 25, 2015
According to a January 2014 Citizens Research Council report, about $57.3 million in fiscal year 2013, or about $38 per student, sent from the state to local districts for students in “shared time” programs. In those programs, students from private schools are allowed to enroll in public schools part time in order to take elective classes.

Citizens Research Council Report: Gas to Go Up a Dime Per Gallon if Prop 1 Passes
WNWN 98.5 Radio (Battle Creek), March 20, 2015
A new Citizens Research Council report says that the price of fuel in Michigan will rise just over a dime a gallon, based on current pump prices, if Proposal 1 passes on the statewide May 5th ballot. This is in addition to the one penny per dollar sales tax increase included in the proposal. As the gas price rises, the difference would diminish. The report also concludes that the plan would likely make a significant dent in paying for roads in addition to funds unrelated to transportation.

Proposal 15-1: Too complex to expain in a town hall, edit column
Midland Daily News, March 22, 2015
If you are interested in a dispassionate view on the issue, as it seems no one was Thursday, go to the Citizens Research Council of Michigan’s web site, crcmich.org, and look up their report of March 2015 titled “Statewide Ballot Issue: Proposal 15-1, Sales and Motor Fuel Tax Increases Related to Transportation Funding.”

It talks in layman’s terms about all the effects that the proposal, necessary because we are talking about changing the sales tax, and its statuary tie-bars would have on all governments — federal, state, county, city, school and township. It also talks about how it impacts you.

While there might be other places to get unbiased information on this topic, we as yet are not aware of any. This report is a good starting point.

Citizens Research Council Report: Gas to Go Up a Dime Per Gallon if Prop 1 Passes
WHTC – Lansing, March 20, 2015
A new Citizens Research Council report says that the price of fuel in Michigan will rise just over a dime a gallon, based on current pump prices, if Proposal 1 passes on the statewide May 5th ballot. This is in addition to the one penny per dollar sales tax increase included in the proposal. As the gas price rises, the difference would diminish. The report also concludes that the plan would likely make a significant dent in paying for roads in addition to funds unrelated to transportation.

Gov. Snyder: ‘No Plan B’ if Proposal 1 fails
Detroit News, March 20, 2015
Snyder said Thursday the transition to a proposed wholesale fuel tax system would result in drivers paying 3 cents a gallon more than the current 37.4 cents a gallon they pay in state and federal gas taxes. But the Citizens Research Council of Michigan released an analysis Thursday that showed the increase could be as high as 10.2 cents a gallon.

Align Michigan Constitution with practice
Detroit News, March 20, 2015
Over the past 50 years, 90 percent of all laws have been given immediate effect, according to a new report from the Citizens Research Council of Michigan, a non-partisan group that examines the impact of state policy and practices.

Report Identifies Flaw In Road Funding Plan
Gongwer News Service, March 19, 2015
An error in the drafting of part of the road funding package would result in much more funding than Governor Rick Snyder and legislators intended to go toward reducing debt on bonds sold to pay for previous road construction, and actually reduce the amount of money for roads in the next two fiscal years, an analysis from the Citizens Research Council of Michigan shows.

Proposal 1’s passage would trigger these 10 laws
Detroit Free Press, March 15, 2015
If passed, eligible Michigan residents could claim a tax credit equal to 20% of their federal EITC, up from 6%. The change would restore the credit to the level it was at before Snyder and the Republican-controlled Legislature reduced it in 2011. According to the Citizen’s Research Council, a couple with three children and an income of $45,000 would see their state EITC increase from $94 to $312.

CRC Report Suggests Reforms On Immediate Effect
Gongwer News Service, March 12, 2015
The Citizens Research Council has determined a need for reform, either of the Constitution to reflect the legislative practice of giving a bill immediate effect, or of the legislative practice itself to reflect the Constitution.

Preschool for 3-year-olds â€“ high cost, higher reward
Bridge Magazine, March 5, 2015
It’s also unusual because its preschool classroom for children as young as 3 is relatively rare in Michigan, according to a report on policy options for supporting children from birth to age 3, released last fall by the Citizens Research Council of Michigan and Public Sector Consultants (CRC-PSC), two Lansing-based research organizations.

Proposal 1’s passage would trigger these 10 laws
Detroit Free Press, March 15, 2015
If passed, eligible Michigan residents could claim a tax credit equal to 20% of their federal EITC, up from 6%. The change would restore the credit to the level it was at before Snyder and the Republican-controlled Legislature reduced it in 2011. According to the Citizen’s Research Council, a couple with three children and an income of $45,000 would see their state EITC increase from $94 to $312.

CRC Report Suggests Reforms On Immediate Effect
Gongwer News Service, March 12, 2015
The Citizens Research Council has determined a need for reform, either of the Constitution to reflect the legislative practice of giving a bill immediate effect, or of the legislative practice itself to reflect the Constitution.

A steady doctor for babies to call their own
Bridge Magazine, March 5, 2015
Through Medicaid and other health-insurance programs, poor families have received greater access to healthcare coverage in recent years, and experts see the medical homes movement as the next step of an early childhood system that focuses on early learning, mental health, nutrition, family support and early intervention.

That was one of the chief findings of a study on policy options to support children 3 and under that was released late last year by the Citizens Research Council of Michigan and Public Sector Consultants, two Lansing-based research organizations.

Preschool for 3-year-olds — high cost, higher reward
Bridge Magazine, March 5, 2015
It’s also unusual because its preschool classroom for children as young as 3 is relatively rare in Michigan, according to a report on policy options for supporting children from birth to age 3, released last fall by the Citizens Research Council of Michigan and Public Sector Consultants (CRC-PSC), two Lansing-based research organizations.

Putting a value on young minds
Bridge Magazine, March 3, 2015
The single most taxpayer-friendly policy that Michigan can pursue may be investing in proven early childhood programs to help the state’s estimated 260,000 at-risk kids. The up-front costs may be steep, but the long-term financial savings for Michigan will be enormous.
That’s the conclusion of a comprehensive study by the Citizens Research Council of Michigan and Public Sector Consultants, two Lansing-based research organizations, on the social and economic benefits of better developing the minds of young children, from birth to age 3.

Michigan struggles to support child care for thousands of children
Bridge Magazine, March 3, 2015
A growing body of research shows high-quality child care can lead to positive long-term outcomes for children, according to a recent report on state policy options for children from birth to 3 years old by the Citizens Research Council and Public Sector Consultants, two Lansing-based research organizations.

Fix Planned To Correct Sales Tax Problem In Roads Plan
Gongwer News Service, February 9, 2015
As currently constructed, that would create a mess for retailers who theoretically would have to determine whether or not to charge the sales tax and even ask customers filling up a gasoline can what the intended use of the purchase is. The Citizens Research Council of Michigan, as part of a broad analysis it is conducting on the road funding plan, noted the quirk and provided the information to Gongwer News Service.

We’re all paying the high cost of child care
Detroit Free Press, February 1, 2015
But unlike other states, Michigan has a higher threshold for eligibility and reimburses providers for a smaller portion of the cost, said Robert Schneider, director of state policy at the nonpartisan Citizens Research Council. Late last year, the CRC and Lansing-based Public Sector Consultants produced a report offering policy solutions to improve outcomes for Michigan kids from birth to age 3.

“More than any other issue, water affects almost everything,” said Eric Lupher, president of the Citizens Research Council of Michigan, a nonprofit, nonpartisan research group.
The mayor and residents are looking to the right person for answers, Lupher said. In the line of accountability, Flint residents have to hold the governor responsible for the emergency manager’s decisions because the people of Michigan voted for governor; they did not vote for emergency manager.
“On the issue of responsibility, there probably isn’t any legal responsibility for the state,” Lupher said, “but the there certainly is a moral responsibility.”

The work on the recommendations dates back to September 2013. That’s when the House Appropriations General Government Subcommittee formally asked the nonprofit Citizens Research Council to study the state’s statutory revenue sharing scheme.

Public Sector Consultants, a Lansing-based nonprofit research outfit, in collaboration with the Citizens Research Council, has been looking at nationwide evidence to see what works best, especially for poor, vulnerable, often single-parent families. So far, it appears that the best route to success is home visiting programs in which responsible, experienced and trained adults regularly visit families to help parents learn the kinds of parenting skills that result in successful brain development.